Crunchy Bistro Carrot Salad
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A tangy-sweet crunchy carrot salad that combines julienned or grated fresh, raw carrots with a lemony honey vinaigrette dressing, fresh cilantro, and crispy sliced almonds. It’s the best make-ahead refrigerator salad or snack!
Carrots — this fresh, vibrant salad is ALL about them. The crunchy shreds are so pleasant to eat, and the salad only tastes better the longer it sits. Imagine it on your plate for the type of casual lunch you’d find at a Paris bistro or take-away shop (and possibly better, ooh-la-la).
This carrot salad is next level delicious!
- This carrot salad recipe hits all the right notes: Think fresh, crunchy textures and a balance of sweet and tangy bites.
- The dressing is SO GOOD: Mix it up with fresh lemon juice, apple cider vinegar + olive oil, honey (or maple syrup), and chopped shallot.
- Maximum CRUNCH: Crisp, fresh carrots and sliced almonds are the key.
- It’s the perfect fridge salad: Carrot salad keeps for days, and quite possibly tastes even better! Make it with me now!
Carrots are essential in the kitchen but they often play second fiddle, appearing in the background as the flavor base of vegetable broth, the starring ingredient in a smooth carrot soup or carrots glazed to sweet perfection with butter and sugar.
But enjoying carrots fresh and raw in a salad really brings their appealing natural sweetness into focus.
Ingredient notes
- Carrots: Choose firm carrots, with or without their green tops. I find that larger carrots are easier to slice into matchsticks than slender ones. If your market has multi-colored rainbow shades of purple, yellow, and orange carrots, use them for an especially beautiful salad.
- Lemon: Grab one fresh lemon — first zest it with a rasp grater (like a Microplane), then cut in half to release the juice.
- Vinegar: I love the taste of apple cider vinegar. Paired with the lemon juice, the acidity is pleasantly zippy.
- Sweetener: Instead of granulated sugar, I like to use liquid honey or maple syrup because it dissolves more easily into the vinaigrette, adding a nice balance of sweetness without tasting cloying.
- Olive oil: Use your favorite everyday extra-virgin oil or drizzling oil.
- Herbs: Soft herbs are best in this salad. Choose cilantro, parsley or chive leaves. Give them a rough chop or keep them whole.
- Almonds: Sliced almonds add that crunch factor, along with their inherent nutty flavor. Shelled, chopped pistachios are another good option.
How to cut carrots for salad (photo tutorial)
In French cooking, julienning vegetables is a technique based on cutting food into evenly thin strips, or matchsticks. The shape is ideal to use in salads or as a garnish. Here are a few low-tech ways to do it.
Start by peeling the carrots. If you prefer, skip this step and simply scrub them. Trim off the stem and root ends from the carrots.
Option 1: A swivel-bladed julienne peeler easily makes slender noodles out of carrots. To use it, lay the trimmed carrot flat on your cutting board, then grab the tapered end with a kitchen towel while scraping the peeler in the opposite direction. Option 2: Use the coarse side of a box grater, holding the carrot lengthwise. Option 3: A mandoline slicer makes uniform matchsticks — this is my favorite method.
Option 4: If you have confident knife skills, cut whole carrots into 3-inch lengths, then into thin (1/16-inch) thick planks. Stack them and slice into strips. Any way you slice them, you’ll probably end up with some scrappy pieces. Cut them into additional julienne cuts, snack on them, or save them in a freezer bag and add to homemade soup recipes.
Make the salad
1. Toast sliced almonds in a heavy saucepan just until golden on the edges. 2. Combine chopped shallots, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, olive oil and seasoning to make the vinaigrette. 3. Toss the sliced carrots in a big bowl with the dressing and herbs. Sprinkle with lemon zest and almonds and serve.
Crunchy Bistro Carrot Salad
Ingredients
Salad dressing
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey, or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoons finely chopped shallot
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Carrot salad
- 1 pound (450 g) carrots, peeled and trimmed
- ¼ cup cilantro, or parsley leaves
- Grated zest from one lemon, about 2 teaspoons
- ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted, or chopped whole almonds
Instructions
Prepare the dressing
- Mix the olive oil, honey or maple syrup, lemon juice, vinegar, shallot, salt and black pepper in a lidded jar and shake until blended.
Make the salad
- Grate or slice the carrots into matchstick pieces. You can use a box grater, julienne peeler, mandoline or chef's knife (see my photo tutorial right here). Transfer to a large bowl (you should have about 6 cups).
- Pour the dressing over the salad and add the cilantro or parsley and the lemon zest. Toss well, until the carrots are evenly coated. At this point, you can marinate the salad for 10-15 minutes or refrigerate 3-4 days.
- Just before serving, sprinkle on the almonds.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Optional add-ins: Add a big handful of golden raisins. Substitute chopped pistachios for the almonds. Crumble fresh goat cheese or feta over the salad. Add finely chopped chives or green onions instead of shallot.
- The salad will keep refrigerated 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.